Nutritional characterization of Cytinus hypocistis L. Artigo de Conferência uri icon

resumo

  • The habit of eating wild plants in Europe is often associated with times of famine or food scarcity (although not exclusively). Most ofthe early studies on the use ofwild food plants in Europe capture the memory offamine and the use ofwild plants for survival, including the consumption ofstarvation foods that in normal times would be discarded by the community [l]. An example ofsuch is the Cytinus hypocistis L.; the young plant can be cooked as an asparagus substitute; the nectar eaten as sweets, and the species is quoted as famine food in Portugal [2]. Despite these traditional uses, its chemical composition is largely unknown, and the active substances are not yet idenüfied. To help start bridging this gap, and to explore alternative uses of this plant species, the present workreports the nutriüonal composition ofC. hypocistis whole plant and nectar. Plant specimens were collected in June 2018 in Castro Daire, Portaigal. After lyophüisation, the whole plant and the nectar chamber of flower were further analysed. The proximate composition was evaluated by AOAC official procedures (fat, proteins, ash, carbohydrates, and energy) [3 ], free sugars were determined using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a refraction mdex detector (HPLC-RI), whüe organic acids were determined using ultrafast liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector (UPLC-DAD) [4]. The nutritional profile of the whole plant and the nectar chamber of the flower were very similar in terms of fat, ash and carbohydrate contents. Nevertheless, the protein content in the nectar chamber ofthe flower was almost 2-fold higher in comparison to the whole plant (9.4 and 4.9 g/100 g dw, respectively). Fructose, glucose, sucrose, and trehalose were the free sugars present in both samples. Although both parts presented similar concentration of trehalose, the sugar content was much higher in the whole plant (6. 3 g/100 g dw versas 1.4 g/100 g dw) due to the higher leveis of the other 3 sugars. Oxalic, malic, and citric acids were the identified organic acids in both samples, being citric acid the most abundant molecule. The nectar chamber of the flower also presented ascorbic acid (0. 180 g/100 g dw), while the whole plant presented traces of shikinic acid. This study allowed for a better understanding of the reasons behind the use of this plant in the past, but further investigation is needed in arder to clarify C. hypocistis potential applications.

data de publicação

  • novembro 2018